Steve & Barry's liquidates in Benton Harbor, not in South Bend

September 18, 2008|HEIDI PRESCOTT Tribune Staff Writer

At a time when consumers are trying to save, save, save, the discounts will be deep, deep, deep at the Steve & Barry's store in Benton Harbor. Taped to the front window are red-and-yellow signs that beckon frugal shoppers into the final liquidation sale. The Pipestone Plaza store, which welcomed Steve & Barry's to the region in 2006, is gearing up to close very soon. "Right now, everything in our closing stores is marked $8.98 or less," said Rachel Brenner, company spokeswoman. While the date has not yet been set, the process appears to be moving at a rapid pace. Wednesday is the last day of business for about a quarter of the 103 stores in the liquidation pipeline as the chain's new owners work to create a smaller store base. But it's business as usual in South Bend. The Steve & Barry's location at McKinley Square, which opened in late 2006, made the cut and will be among the 173 locations to remain open nationwide. The Benton Harbor store, which opened first in our region inside a former Kmart in June 2006, is the smaller of the two locations. Steve & Barry's will continue to operate its 118,000-square-foot South Bend store filled with casual apparel for the family. Its merchandise sells for $10.98 or less. BH S&B Holdings bought the retailer out of bankruptcy for $163 million in August, one month after New York-based Steve & Barry's filed for bankruptcy protection. Staff writer Heidi Prescott: hprescott@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6070